


Horizon Line

by florisuga



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, the gang's all here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-15 06:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20862065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/florisuga/pseuds/florisuga
Summary: The real shame, Yeosang thinks, is that the heroes in this world fight other heroes as much as villains do. Selfishness is the real threat over society. "Heroes" isn't the correct term for these people--they're more like bounty hunters, most of them not actually looking out for the helpless citizen and instead gunning for a reward, be it money or fame or just the thrill of the hunt.Yeosang doesn't like to acknowledge that he's guilty of a few of those things, too.





	Horizon Line

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to M, the most wonderful beta who deserves every star in the universe.

This is not the first time Yeosang has watched his city burn.

From his view in the middle of the street, overturned cars do nothing to obscure the plumes of smoke continuing to rise. Skyscrapers tower above him, and although he cannot see what is hiding at the tops, he knows that the edges are lined with heroes waiting and observing, statuesque like gargoyles. More heroes dash ahead toward the group of villains responsible for the attack. They're _so close,_ and Yeosang is in the epicenter with San and Wooyoung beside him, as always. The hum of his drone drowns in the wail of sirens, and he is filled with new urgency not at the need to save any remaining civilians, but to jump at the villains just ahead while they have the chance. He almost doesn't feel guilty about it nowadays.

"Seriously," Wooyoung whines, "who keeps calling the cops?"

The three of them and the other heroes in tonight's rush didn't cause the attack, but law enforcement hasn't bothered to investigate lately. Anyone fighting is putting civilians at risk and is immediately immobilized and detained without question. It's ruthless. Yeosang kind of understands why.

His thoughts are interrupted by San's _let's do this._ And suddenly, he's racing after his friends toward the villains before more heroes decide to get in anyone's way and take their last shot at earning tonight's reward.

Heroes do, as expected.

For a few moments, the world in front of everyone disappears; the cars, the fires, the villains only _yards away now, they were almost there--_it's gone. When that annoyingly familiar distortion of light finally lifts and the group of villains comes back into view, some force is holding them flat to the ground despite their attempts to stand. Yeosang hears his phone chime to notify him that the rush is over and the reward has been claimed.

As his tunnel vision clears, new concern rises about the rapidly approaching police cars. Still, he breathes out an exasperated, "Them again?" before his team finally takes off along with the rest of the scattering hero would-have-beens.

\---

Yeosang remembers his first rush: events had been much quieter then, so it was easier to pursue a villain without interruption as the social aspect of tracking was still new and unfamiliar among the powered community. Wooyoung had naturally stepped into the lead, but the idea of rushing was Yeosang's. Eagerness to witness the success of the armor he designed won over any existing concerns.

Wooyoung said, "It'll be just like in the movies!" with _so much_ energy. His eyes were _so bright_.

Yeosang told him, "Please don't wear a costume."

Everything considered, Yeosang thought they held their ground for a respectable amount of time. Wooyoung was new to this world and Yeosang even newer; every block and counter and strike that they landed on their enemies was a success to them regardless of how inexperienced the villains might have been, too. All of them were locked in a stalemate between rookies, which must have looked pathetic because someone decided to start toying with them. The lightweight gear Yeosang had prided himself on constructing suddenly weighed a hundred pounds, but the villains in front of him weighed nothing.

As they drifted upward and scrambled to return to earth, Yeosang saw in the corner of his eye a strange darkness. Not that of a shadow obscuring something, he thought. Bending light.

He poured over the few message boards that existed at the time as soon as he and Wooyoung made it back home safe. Turned out whoever was causing these distortions was a nuisance among both heroes and villains. Nobody knew if it was one person or multiple people because nobody could ever see them. Everyone just referred to them as The Rift.

This villain--hero?--created the circumstances they needed in order to win. A little bit like cheating, maybe. That was okay though, Yeosang thought; it was not so different from him.

\---

_You know it's bad when this is coming from me,_ San texts, _but this is getting obnoxious._

_You're right,_ Yeosang types. _It is bad._

Wooyoung sends a laughing emoji as Yeosang thumbs back over their chat room. Yeosang is tired, half paying attention to the lecture he has to sit through about rising tensions between "so-called" heroes and villains, and half wishing he was in bed. He regrets not giving more thought about signing up for morning classes. Then again, he also hadn't expected staying out all night so often.

A new message from San reads: _everyone else thinks so too! do you see this?!_ followed by a link to one of the chat rooms on the tracker boards where several people are complaining about losing rewards to The Rift. There's no point even trying to stop villains when nobody's getting anything out of it.

_True heroes,_ Yeosang writes.

_Hey,_ Wooyoung texts, _their name is still on the wanted board... should we try?_

San immediately responds, _YES,_ and Yeosang is tempted to do the same. Every loss to The Rift replays in his mind, how strong he and Wooyoung and San have gotten together, how hard they've worked to get there, and how much they deserve this win. Apprehension from his first rush that made him feel like throwing up doesn't bother him these days. Yeosang was excited but naive, then. Maybe he still is, a little.

He types _yeah,_ and doesn't hesitate any longer before he hits _send_.

\---

As passionate as Yeosang is for engineering, he cannot bring himself to focus at any point during that morning's class. Something critical is missing from the inhibitor he's building. He just can't think of _what._ Every time he feels like he's close to the answer, his thoughts spiral back to The Rift last night to distract him from his work; if he could figure out how to disrupt it then maybe he and Wooyoung and San could stand a chance at finally winning, and his inhibitor is so close to being finished and he just _doesn't know what he's missing._ He doesn't know _enough._ It's maddening.

"You need to take a step back," Seonghwa tells him later, once Yeosang drags himself back to the dorm and considers passing out on the common room couch. "See the forest for the trees, or something like that."

Yeosang tells him, "That doesn't make any sense," because all he is thinking about--all he can think about--are the details. There is no bigger picture to see without them. Yeosang is _tired._ All he says is: "I'm going to bed," and he leaves.

\---

"I know _exactly_ what we need." San leans in and says, very seriously: _"Superhero names."_

_"No,"_ Yeosang tells him.

Wooyoung straightens immediately. "And catchphrases."

Before Yeosang developed his abilities, he used to think superheroes were awesome. Names and catchphrases, masks and costumes... they separated the heroes from the villains from the everyday citizens. They were icons and household names and inspirations every citizen could only dream to be. He realizes now that most of those heroes were attention hungry and self-important. Legends, sure, but in the worst way.

"Nothing about any of that is cool or intimidating," Yeosang says before either of them tries to argue any points. This isn't the first time they've had this conversation. He knows how it goes.

"It's _super_ cool and intimidating when you're actually good," San tells him, "which we are."

Wooyoung hums, considering, and rolls onto his stomach where he's lying on his bed. "We do need to get their attention. Obviously nobody's been able to get to The Rift before it's gone."

On reflex, Yeosang says, "Then we get it to come to us," except out of nowhere, a voice in the back of his head reminds him _there's so much you don't know_. But, he counters, there's only one good way to learn. "So we know exactly where it'll be."

"Yes!" San springs for his phone. "We need to go to a rush they can't resist."

"We can guess, but we don't know for sure they'll come," Yeosang tries as San types rapidly. "We might want to think some more."

Wooyoung says, "But if we wait too long, someone else might beat us to it. We'll be ready this time."

"We'll stick together," San agrees. He tosses his phone aside, and Yeosang knows that San found the rush he was looking for. "The Three Musketeers!"

Wooyoung makes a face as though he smells something foul and shakes his head.

\---

Law enforcement doesn't bother to differentiate between heroes and villains. Both sides start wars, cost cities tens of thousands of dollars to repair damages, and put innocent citizens in danger. Message boards developed by vigilantes to track powered individuals have only created more of a nuisance since people have started offering rewards for their capture. As often as the news reports steps toward taking those boards down permanently, nothing has happened yet. Yeosang is pretty sure there are more than a few cops taking advantage of them.

Tracking through the boards was supposed to be helpful. It was intended to inspire doing good, to motivate people with super abilities to stop others trying to cause harm or taking advantage of the everyday citizen. Nobody anticipated that those kinds of threats would come from both sides, or that the people they were supposed to protect would be dragged into the crossfire.

"That's the thing about good intentions," Jongho told everybody, once, and then shrugged.

Yeosang reads over his messages with Wooyoung and San while he's in ethics class the next morning. He notes the time and the place and the care they've taken to figure out how many civilians might be around, and ignores any thoughts about how telling the difference between the heroes and the villains has gotten harder even for him.

\---

"What do you think about ‘Solar Flare'?" Wooyoung asks. "That's a cool name, right?"

Luckily, Hongjoong beats Yeosang to an answer. "Cute."

Wooyoung frowns. "No, it's not." He sinks into the common room sofa and pulls his hoodie tighter around himself. Yeosang thinks it doesn't help his argument.

"It would definitely distract everyone long enough to get some hits in," San says.

Again, Hongjoong cuts in, "Hits in on who?"

Yeosang forces himself not to shift in his seat. Hongjoong and Seonghwa know a little about the heroic part of their lives, but nobody has talked or asked about any details. Prying too much is inconsiderate as much as it is a red flag; one thing comics got right was the dangers of letting others know too much about yourself.

San replies, "No one," short, final, and in no way believable.

"Fun," Seonghwa chimes in. "Let me come."

Wooyoung and San laugh, a quick, high bark of a sound. In unison, they say, "No."

Hongjoong hums. He doesn't sound disappointed, though. Just considering. "I hope you have a good reason."

"And you always do? Don't act so noble," Wooyoung tells him, but it's clear he immediately regrets his words; even he flinches.

Hongjoong breathes, deep, but doesn't comment.

"I don't think there's such a thing anymore," Yeosang offers. This is not entirely a selfless gesture; it's partially reassurance that targeting The Rift, something they don't even know is good or bad, isn't the wrong thing to do. It's not the right thing, he's sure. But it's nothing worse than usual by their standards, and this is the best way for him to learn more.

He, Wooyoung, and San move to leave. Before they go, Seonghwa pulls Yeosang aside and asks, so soft, "Do you know what you're doing?"

_No._ As badly as he wants to win tonight and as prepared as Wooyoung and San think they are, Yeosang is aware that they're no better off than going in blind. They might do exactly that, if they're caught in The Rift, since nobody can see into it. A voice in the back of his mind reassures him: _what better way to find out._

Instead, Yeosang tells him, "Mostly," and follows his friends to get ready.

\---

Whenever any piece of technology is not complete, there are always risks involved. Malfunctions, shock hazards, recoil--Yeosang has experienced them all. This is how he knows that bringing his half-finished inhibitor to a fight is a terrible idea. Alternatively, he could risk getting caught in The Rift, unable to protect himself or his friends at all--at least the inhibitor might give them an advantage. His mind cycles through this debate the whole bus ride into the city.

"Nothing bad will happen," Wooyoung reassures him that night before they sneak through the halls of their dorm, careful not to cross paths with any of the other heroes or villains with the same idea. "It's no different from any other fight. Except this time we won't be caught off-guard."

Yeosang does agree, kind of. He is not as naive as he was in the beginning--he knows that there is still a very high likelihood of things going wrong, but he also doesn't want to continue living with the uncertainty of some unknown force that might turn against him or his friends one day.

And, beneath it all, he also doesn't want to keep losing.

For a while, it seems like Wooyoung might be right. They may not yet have defeated The Rift, but they have a respectable number of wins under their belt for a reason.

It's wild, Yeosang thinks, the odds that the three of them would find each other. When they fight, there's something amazing about the way Yeosang's electricity sparks the fires that dance through Wooyoung, further fed and driven by the raging wind San controls around them and engulfing everything in its path. Together, the three of them are a _maelstrom_.

Wooyoung summons a wall of fire before the villains ahead can shoot off another round of ice daggers. The bus that the three of them rode out here is already punctured along one side. Thankfully, anyone who was onboard fled long ago.

San focuses on the flames, and moment later they're surging forward. During the moment of pause while the villains regroup, San asks Yeosang, "Anything yet?"

Yeosang quickly switches the view of his goggles to the feed from the drone he sent up as soon as they arrived. No bizarre power signatures yet, from what he can see. Usually he's frustrated when The Rift arrives too quickly, but now he's growing tired of waiting. He's physically exhausted and pretty sure his armor is the main reason he's still on his feet right now--he can only imagine how his friends must be feeling.

He's about to answer _no,_ but then in the corner of his eye, he sees it: it begins like a wave, a subtle warping of reality in a way not unlike the heat from Wooyoung's fires. Instead, he says, "Oh, shit."

As prepared as Yeosang hoped he was, the sudden appearance causes him to act before thinking; he knows that if he doesn't do something first, San or Wooyoung might try to send off a shot and unintentionally scare whoever is behind The Rift away. They need to work fast and immediate, and his mind goes straight to the inhibitor on his belt. He throws it to the area between The Rift‘s formation and the villains they've been fighting before he can pay any attention to how close his friends are to the radius.

Yeosang prides himself on his engineering--it's the only reason he has any "powers" at all. He learns from his mistakes. The unfortunate part is that sometimes those mistakes happen at the worst time, in the worst way.

A single pulse from his inhibitor is all it takes to send The Rift back into nonexistence, either because it was hit or it was scared off. But his moment of pride quickly evaporates as he realizes that the villains they were fighting were not close enough to the radius, but San and Wooyoung were.

Yeosang shifts back into a fighting stance and hopes that his inventions are enough to help him hold his ground.

\---

_"Dude,"_ Wooyoung laughs and then grimaces, his chest no doubt still sore from the painful loss last night. Regardless, his smile returns. "It _worked_."

He rests a hand on Yeosang's shoulder and shakes him gently, and the corner of Yeosang's mouth starts to curl up, a little, from excitement, until it twists with gradual realization.

"They know what we look like now," Yeosang says, because he knows he needs to start looking over his shoulder more than usual. As far as he knows, he's the first to send The Rift away--whoever is behind it will remember that, too. "We probably don't have to worry about looking for it again. I'm sure it'll find us."

_"That,"_ San tells him, "is exactly why we need masks."

Part of Yeosang wants to tell him what a laughing stock they would be, except he thinks the idea doesn't sound as ridiculous now.

\---

Yeosang does not have superpowers. Every ability--inhibitors, electric shocks, drones--all of it is by invention, all by manual control. Magic or genes or curses that have given so many people extraordinary powers belonged to Wooyoung and San. Yeosang realized over time that they did not also belong to him, and so he created his own.

As a citizen, he was well aware of danger lurking around every corner, but never before gave much consideration to the additional dangers heroes have to face--probably because they were once untouchable to him. And when Wooyoung's powers emerged, Yeosang started to think about the threats his best friend would face and the way Wooyoung suddenly had this ability to manipulate fire, how it sparked and danced so dangerously. He thought about San and the way the breeze brushed around them, playful, until he willed it to become devastating.

And it was _fun_. As much as they wanted to win at the rushes, it had always been more for the joy of the game. Maybe it was ignorance, but they didn't take things too seriously. They never wanted to.

Yeosang made his own superpowers because thought about the brand new world his friends lived in, and he wanted to be part of it, too.

\---

The real shame, Yeosang thinks, is that the heroes in this world fight other heroes as much as villains do. Selfishness is the real threat over society. "Heroes" isn't the correct term for these people--they're more like bounty hunters, most of them not actually looking out for the helpless citizen and instead gunning for a reward, be it money or fame or just the thrill of the hunt.

Yeosang doesn't like to acknowledge that he's guilty of a few of those things, too.

Law enforcement hates them all because of the chaos and interference. Yeosang understands.

Jongho asks him, one night, while Yeosang is losing a fight against him: "Is it so wrong?" He says: "Isn't a good guy still a ‘good guy' if the ‘bad guys' end up beaten in the end?"

"Makes kind of a pathetic good guy," Yeosang tells him, well aware that he falls into that category. "Definitely not much of a hero."

"That word is used so loosely these days." Jongho says, "But I don't think either of us is in a position to judge."

\---

_Call me when you're on break_ Yeosang texts to Seonghwa in the middle of ethics class. Even though he knows that Seonghwa is at work, Hongjoong was nowhere to be found that morning, and Wooyoung and San are undoubtedly asleep. Maybe it makes Yeosang feel a bit bothersome, but with Seonghwa he feels less pressured anyway, less inclined to pick sides and less judged for staying in that middle ground.

"How are you?" Yunho whispers to him as Yeosang checks his phone for the third time to see if there's a reply. But this is not casual conversation; Yeosang can tell from Yunho's tone that this is genuine concern.

Yeosang pauses a moment to yawn. "Fine."

"I heard you had a close call the other day." Over the drone of their professor's lecture about a recent court case of citizens versus heroes in a dispute over who should be charged with reckless endangerment, Yunho asks him, "Are you going after it?"

"If anything," Yeosang says, "it'll probably find us first," and doesn't tell Yunho about the message boards he's been reading through, because San and Wooyoung are right--they can't be caught off-guard if they make the first move. They have to try again. Not wanting to raise alarm, he says, "I wish I could borrow some of your luck," but he's only half joking.

If Yeosang had gained powers naturally, he would've wanted Yunho's. What need is there for strength or speed when the universe will bend to accommodate you? Yunho has escaped more than a few close calls himself, even if he doesn't realize how close they were.

Still, Yunho smiles gently and says, "I wish it worked like that," and Yeosang can't help but smile back, a little, for real this time.

\---

"One time I had to chase this guy to the top of a skyscraper," Mingi tells them. He stands with a hand high above his head to give them some idea of just how tall it was and laughs. "Whenever he got up one flight of stairs I portal-ed him back down. It was _hilarious_."

Wooyoung and San are leaning forward, appearing to hang onto his every word. Yeosang feels a little like a buzzkill for asking: "Did they try to get you back?"

"Of course!" Mingi sounds so nonchalant, Yeosang thinks, as though he is talking about some ridiculous, stupid thing he did last weekend. Really, it's not that far from the truth. "Not like they stood a chance though."

"You're full of it," San tells him. "But awesome."

Suddenly, Wooyoung blurts: "We got rid of The Rift!" A few seconds later, he corrects: "Well, Yeosang did." And again: "Maybe."

It's Mingi's turn to lean forward in anticipation. "Dude, _awesome._"

"The awesomest thing he's ever done," Wooyoung agrees, firm and proud.

Confidence warms Yeosang's chest; in that moment, every challenge he's beaten flashes through his mind and he admits, as someone whose powers weren't given but self-made: "It was."

\---

Deep down, Yeosang knows he should be studying. Finals aren't that far away, and even though a few professors are flexible with their dates due to so many students calling out "sick", most of them aren't. It's about teaching responsibility, a few of them have said. Yeosang thinks it's usually just resentment.

His textbook is open, but that's as far as he‘s gotten. On top of the pages is his phone, which he's reading instead.

"Got a lot on your mind?" Seonghwa asks.

"Finals," Yeosang says. It's not entirely a lie. The rest of his concentration is spent thinking about future plans, but not in the professional sense that Seonghwa probably wants to hear.

"Why don't you take a night off?" Seonghwa suggests. "We could all use one."

Yeosang's phone updates him to a new message, and he quickly lifts it off of his book before Hongjoong or Seonghwa can read the location San sent him.

"Good luck studying," Hongjoong tells him, but there's a slight edge to his voice, and Yeosang is acutely reminded that he has never been a good liar.

\---

Yeosang met Seonghwa and Hongjoong in the middle of one night during his freshman year in college, when he, Wooyoung and San tried to sneak back into the dorm after celebrating the end of their midterms. The sky was clear and the stars bright until clouds rolled in overhead and a group of villains led an ambush in front of the bar near their school. San was able to push back, and it was a relief to get to safety before the funnel clouds over head fished forming. After their night of celebration they were in no condition to fight, much less control something as unpredictable and powerful as the wind.

By the time they made it back to their dorm and crawled inside in a manner that they thought was quiet, their clothes were disheveled and hair wind-blown and wild. They were out of breath from running as best as they could and even though Yeosang was gasping for air, he had to laugh.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong laughed too, though Yeosang had no idea who they were other than a couple of students eating at two in the morning in the common room. None of them spoke to each other until the next morning, by accident. Police were questioning students about the fighting the previous night, but as San hurried to pull Yeosang and Wooyoung in to tell them _we were studying all night in our rooms_, those two from the common room said all of them had been in the dorm at that time, having a late dinner. Yeosang was caught off-guard, but San was quick to jump onboard.

Afterward, Wooyoung said, “Thanks for that,” then, without pause: "Who are you?"

"And how did you know we needed an alibi?" San finished for him.

"Stumbling in here in the middle of the night, looking the way you did?" Hongjoong asked, light, amused, "Who wouldn't?"

Yeosang was skeptical of them, understandably; in this society where anyone could be an enemy, it could be difficult to even trust friends. Again, he's thankful for how lucky he was to find Wooyoung and San. "Why help us?" he asked.

Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong, then back at Yeosang and simply told him, "We've been in a similar position, too."

Yeosang sort of wanted to ask him what he meant, but San had been reminding him since they met that there were still people out there who did good things without ulterior motives.

Finally, Yeosang said, "Thanks."

The smile Seonghwa gave him was so gentle.

\---

Nobody is ever really prepared for anything, these days.

As much as Yeosang tries to think ahead, there's no guessing when someone else will try to make the first move. That's the point, he supposes. Heroes might love to rush against villains, but villains also love to set up their own ambushes. Both groups live on edge because they both want to win.

The only losers are civilians.

The electrical field from Yeosang's drones keeps villains at bay for a while, but it's the dancing of those sparks Wooyoung threatens to ignite that stops them in their tracks long enough for Mingi to find them.

"Someone else figured out your plans, I see. Good thing you've got me," Mingi says, and he pulls Yeosang and his friends through a portal before police can catch up to them, too.

\---

Hongjoong is alone, tapping away on his laptop in his usual spot on the common room floor. Without interrupting his rhythm or looking up, he says, "You look disappointed."

"My test didn't go as well as I thought it would," Yeosang lies.

"That's too bad." Hongjoong leans against the front of the couch, tells him, "Better luck next time," and then continues his work, unperturbed.

\---

"It's sad," Yunho says. He frowns but sips at his milkshake. "Aren't heroes supposed to protect people?"

Yeosang tells him, on reflex, "We do."

A news report of fallout from another rush plays on the television in the cafeteria. Stories like this stopped being suspenseful a long time ago, even before Yeosang began fighting. Battlegrounds are easily recognizable; citizens with common sense know to steer clear and leave the area before the situation escalates too much. Numbers of citizens caught in crossfire are trending down, but people still live on edge--it is important and unfortunate for everyone to always be ready.

Yunho hums, but it sounds different from his usual lighthearted tone: slow, and deep, and maybe a little sad. He asks, genuine, "You think so?"

Yeosang stays quiet, considering, and thinks that Yunho is more of a hero than anyone today will ever be. "Sure," Yeosang decides to tell him, and he hopes that he sounds convincing.

\---

"If you don't do something," Jongho tells Yeosang, "someone else will."

Nothing about Jongho in that moment is threatening; he's not putting on his villain act or trying to scare Yeosang off from a prize like so many other people might try to do. They are only classmates, almost friends, and Jongho is stating a fact.

"I know," Yeosang says.

Before he talks himself out of it that evening, he sends an anonymous notification to the message boards inviting every able hero to take a shot at midnight at taking down the most villains in a time limit--the prize would be the entire betting pool. Unoriginal, to be sure, but nothing motivates a hero quite like money.

Yeosang's essay on heroism in the modern age goes unfinished; he can't stop thinking about his conversation with Jongho or the text messages bombarding his phone and the moment they finally go silent.

Heroism, he thinks, is a dead concept anyway.

\---

Even though San and Wooyoung are doing most of the talking as they cross campus that night, it's not either of them coordinating their next move this time; Yeosang is the one who did his research, who has built the technology, who combed all of his messages and the boards and knows exactly where they should go and when.

A small part of him hopes that he stumbles across Seonghwa or Hongjoong so they can talk the three of them out of any reckless decisions. Right now, Yeosang isn't sure that he trusts himself with that ability.

They're nowhere to be found.

\---

Darkness falls, and Yeosang is certain that it's meant for him.

Wooyoung and San are out of view--they got separated in the scramble and then lost among the crossfire of everyone who decided to join tonight's rush. The three of them have been together for so long that Yeosang feels exposed having to fight on his own. There's a heartbeat moment of fear that The Rift is going to get revenge while Yeosang is alone and in the open so intense that Yeosang forgets about the citizens running away behind him. He thought that he was more prepared, but again in the heat of a battle he finds himself acting with a knee-jerk response to send out his inhibitors and make everything _stop,_ just like he wished it would back when he was one of those scared civilians.

Yeosang aims for the center of the distortion, but before he can act, a familiar voice beside him rises over the rapid-fire _pop_ of shots from the enemies to tell him, "Stay back."

Seonghwa's words are not spoken in the gentle, tentative tone that Yeosang is used to, but he is also not demanding. The command is calming, somehow, spoken with the confidence of a person who knows what they're doing. Having a person like that is a welcome change, Yeosang thinks.

San and Wooyoung run back to Yeosang's side as the distortion begins to obscure the world around them. A couple of villains chasing after them fly backward, and Yeosang assumes it was a blast from San until he sees Hongjoong approaching too, hands aimed at the enemies in concentration. It was no wonder why nobody ever successfully targeted The Rift--nobody realized they should've been looking for two people.

Even though Yeosang knows now that it's been Seonghwa and Hongjoong causing The Rift all along and they're standing right there, guard down towards Yeosang and attention elsewhere, the thought doesn't pass through Yeosang's mind to jump on his chance to finally win. He wants to earn a prize, but these are his friends.

He's no hero, he knows, but he will never let himself become a villain.

\---

(A million questions race through Yeosang's head before he finally decides on: "How long have you known what we've been up to?"

Seonghwa sighs, fond. "A while."

In the distance, Yeosang can hear a clash of weapons and rumble of the earth where the fight is still ongoing for everyone else vying for the prize money. Suddenly, it became unimportant to him.

"Sorry you're still, you know," Hongjoong says, "broke."

"We're not broke!" Wooyoung insists, words high and clipped and offended. "We've won a lot of times!"

"We could help you win more," Seonghwa offers. "Let us come along sometime."

Without pausing to consider, San tells him, "And split the prize even more? After you've been keeping everything to yourselves the whole time?"

Seonghwa says, so soft, "You know how it is..."

It's true. What Yeosang really wants to ask is _why didn't you tell us,_ but that would be stupid--there are so many reasons to keep secrets in this world. Yeosang understands, in that moment, the importance of perspective.

At the edge of the horizon, the sun begins to rise.)


End file.
